1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the human-machine interface; and, in particular to presenting key data for subsequent human use as input to a process, in which the key data is presented to the human in a form that is more resilient against human entry error than previous approaches.
2. Description of the Related Art
A computer user is often required to input product codes or Internet Protocol addresses to one or more programs which that user employs on a computer system. This task can be daunting when the user has no concept of the meaning of the data. This situation arises, for example, when an unsophisticated network subscriber is asked to configure a network device with an Internet Protocol (IP) address, or a more sophisticated user is asked to input a long string of characters as a product code. Without a context, the series of characters appears (or is) random and is difficult to remember or enter correctly, or both. For example, a person's relative who has just installed a wireless router in her home, finds it difficult to remember to set an IP address of 192.168.1.1 for one of the devices on the network. Several errors are likely to be introduced, such as entering 198.162.11, any one of which is sufficient to prevent successful performance of a desired task.
In a previous approach some computer processes use one or more key words to make it easier for a human user to remember information. For example, AmericaOnLine (AOL) of Dulles, Va. allows users to have passwords made of words rather than random letters and numbers and special characters. While suitable for some purposes, this approach still suffers from failure if even one or the words is mistyped or presented out of order. Only one entry suffices, every variation, no matter how easy to make or how common its occurrence, leads to failure.
Based on the foregoing there is a clear need for techniques to provide human users with forms of key data to enter in a computer system or process, which forms are resilient against common variations that may occur upon human entry, including the effects of mistaken memory and inarticulate operation of an input device (e.g., typographical errors).